Dating in Alkmaar: Best Free Sites & Apps for English Speakers

Cheese, canals and the coast

Alkmaar is world-famous for its traditional cheese market on the Waagplein, held on Friday mornings in season, when carriers in white uniforms run cheeses across the square on wooden barrows. Behind that image is a busy regional centre with canals, the late-Gothic Grote Kerk, a pedestrian shopping core and a lively bar scene. Inholland has a campus here, and AZ, the local football club, plays in the Eredivisie.

The city is about half an hour from Amsterdam by train, and some residents commute there. The coast is close: Bergen, Egmond aan Zee and Bergen aan Zee are all within cycling distance. English is widely spoken, but Alkmaar is clearly more Dutch and less international than the capital.

Sites and apps

The partners in our Netherlands ranking are Dutch-language:

• Lexa if you want a committed relationship and are between 25 and 59; creating a profile, browsing and liking cost nothing.
• Ourtime for singles over 50.
• Parship for long-term matching from 30, through a personality test.
• Sexbook for casual dating, 25 to 50, with chat on credits.

Tinder, Bumble and Hinge offer free chat with matches. If you work in Amsterdam, decide whether you want matches there or close to home, and set your radius accordingly.

The Waagplein, the Laat and the dunes

The Waagplein and the canals around it, such as the Verdronkenoord, are lined with terraces and are lovely on a summer evening. The Laat and the Langestraat are the main streets for shopping and bars. The Biermuseum, in an old building by the canal, and the cheese museum in the Waag are light-hearted date ideas.

Just west of town, Bergen is an artists’ village with galleries, cafés and a weekly summer market, and the Schoorlse Duinen, among the highest dunes in the country, are perfect for walking or mountain biking. The beaches of Egmond and Bergen aan Zee have beach pavilions for a sunset drink.

Every 8 October, Alkmaar celebrates Alkmaars Ontzet, the lifting of the Spanish siege in 1573, with a big street party. Football at AZ, running clubs and sailing on the nearby lakes are good offline ways to meet people.

Tips for dating in Alkmaar

As elsewhere in the Netherlands, directness and splitting the bill are the norm. A coffee by the canal and a bike ride towards Bergen is a perfect first or second date. Meet in public, keep personal details private for a while and never send money to someone you met online.

Which site fits you in Alkmaar?

Jasper, 22, Inholland student living in the Hoef

He wants to widen his circle beyond his classmates. Tinder and Bumble are free and busy. Free tip: student and sports associations hold open evenings at the start of term.

Mila, 33, nurse living in Oudorp

She wants a stable relationship with someone local. Lexa fits her age and goal. Free tip: profile, browsing and likes are free.

David, 45, Irish engineer commuting to Amsterdam

He chose Alkmaar for space and the sea, and wants a long-term partner. Parship uses a personality test; he can write in English. Free tip: Hinge adds free chat with matches.

Truus, 64, retired shop owner near the Grote Kerk

She would like company for walks in the dunes. Ourtime is aimed at over-50s. Free tip: create a profile and like for free.

Dating in Alkmaar: FAQ

Is Alkmaar a good place to live as an expat?

Yes, especially if you work in Amsterdam and want a calmer life near the sea. English is widely spoken.

Where do people go out in Alkmaar?

Around the Waagplein, the Verdronkenoord canal and the Laat.

Which dating apps are free in Alkmaar?

Tinder, Bumble and Hinge all offer free chat with matches.